The explanation may be that Democratic insiders, though not necessarily convinced that Tsongas is the best candidate, got behind her because of early signs that she was going to romp in the primary. That’s the view of one political consultant, who is not working for any of the candidates. Others see it the other way around: those donors are trying to clear the path to victory, by creating a sense of inevitability with their support.

Either way, comparisons to Tom Reilly are increasingly heard. Like Tsongas, Reilly had the early support, and funding, of the Democratic elites when he ran for governor in 2006. He finished third in September’s primary. A similar fate befell Deb Goldberg in the primary for lieutenant governor. If what happened to her happens to Tsongas, will the Democratic insiders have any credibility left?

Tsongas’s monopoly on those party insiders has seriously hurt Donoghue’s ability to raise money — but, according to one of her campaign advisors, she’s willing to spend whatever it takes from her own pocket to compete. Finegold has been a juggernaut, raising more than $700,000, with $450,000 still on hand — almost as much as Tsongas, when you subtract over-the-limit contributions she can’t use until the general election. Eldridge, meanwhile, has carved out a niche as the lefty candidate, and has raised more than a quarter-million, which is impressive for a relative unknown.

Although trailing a bit in the money race, Finegold, Donoghue, and Eldridge make up for it with impressive get-out-the-vote organizations, observers say. What those candidates fear, however, is that an aura of Tsongas inevitability could prompt pols and unions, anxious to join a winning team, to endorse her. They would bring their organizations with them, supplying just what she needs to make that “inevitability” a reality.

Not changing the climate?
Perhaps because it didn’t involve Madonna or Fergie, the Union of Concerned Scientists’ latest report on global warming didn’t make much of a splash. The report makes the case that, without serious action — not just changing light bulbs, but changing state and national policies — Massachusetts will soon have serious problems.

The report was supposed to help bolster the backbones of state pols, to help them stand up to business interests and pass serious emissions standards, such as those on the books in California.

That silence you heard was the response. Perhaps they’ll get to it just after they adopt Governor Deval Patrick’s corporate-tax proposals.

The new report envisions the state climate under two possible futures: loosely, the do-nothing and the do-something scenarios. Under the do-nothing scenario, with no significant reduction in emissions, by mid century our summers in Massachusetts will feel like those now felt by residents of Northern Virginia, the report claims.

Sweating profusely will be the least of our problems. Air quality will get worse. “Once-in-a-century” coastal flooding will occur as often as every other year. Sea levels will rise, dramatically accelerating beach erosion. The fishing industry will be devastated by the depletion, due to warming waters, of Atlantic cod and lobster. Some crops that require winter chill periods, including the state’s famous cranberries, could become untenable. Skiing and other winter activities that drive the tourism industry could disappear.

Related reports from the Cambridge-based group make even more dire predictions about other New England states. In all, it’s a serious warning about the local economic consequences of global climate change.

Minority Blues The historic national Republican wave, which saw the GOP gain at least 64 seats in the US House of Representatives, seemed to skip Massachusetts, which elected Democrats in all 10 congressional districts.

Ten Little Congressmen . . . Each of Massachusetts's 10 congressmen — soon to be nine, following next year's redistricting — are looking at the House shakeup from their own career perspectives.

The X factor Martha Coakley should be plenty thankful for the holiday weekend. The polls suggest that, if nothing significant changes between now and the December 8 primary, she should handily claim the Democratic nomination for US Senate.

Mrs. Warren goes to Washington Elizabeth Warren was the only senator on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, aside from the chair and ranking minority, to show up at last Thursday's hearing on indexing the minimum wage to inflation.

In tragedy’s shadow Jim Ogonowski, a 28-year military veteran and small-farm owner in Dracut, brings plenty of life story, personal accomplishments, and policy positions to his campaign for US Congress.

The political virgins At this incalculably critical time — with a fiscal nightmare threatening billions of dollars of state-government spending and momentous budget decisions to be made — everyone in Massachusetts wants to be represented on Beacon Hill by someone with clout.

MRS. WARREN GOES TO WASHINGTON | March 21, 2013 Elizabeth Warren was the only senator on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, aside from the chair and ranking minority, to show up at last Thursday's hearing on indexing the minimum wage to inflation.

MARCH MADNESS | March 12, 2013 It's no surprise that the coming weekend's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations have become politically charged, given the extraordinary convergence of electoral events visiting South Boston.

LABOR'S LOVE LOST | March 08, 2013 Steve Lynch is winning back much of the union support that left him in 2009.

AFTER MARKEY, GET SET, GO | February 20, 2013 It's a matter of political decorum: when an officeholder is running for higher office, you wait until the election has been won before publicly coveting the resulting vacancy.